My name is Jack Henry, I am 20 a year old African American and went to Berling High School, i worked in a shoe factory and made $500 a year. I have a wife her named is Marge,we have a 2 year old son jeremy and a new baby on the way.
I joined the navy in September of 1939, i went aboard the USS West Virginia, thats were i met my good friend Dorie Miller. We both started out as a mess attendant, third class, but was soon promoted to second class, then first class, and finally to ship’s cook, third class. We didn't do much, we cooked and did laundry but thats what us blacks had to do in the military ("Remember" 1). We were assigned the poor jobs, we didn't get to fight, there was a lot of discrimination in the military. African Americans,and other minority groups were restricted to racially segregated neighborhoods and reservations and denied basic citizenship right, some members of these groups questioned whether this was their war to fight (Denzar 564). The morning of the Japanese raid, we were doing laundry rounds when the call to battle stations went out. we rushed to our station, an antiaircraft-battery magazine. It was common for everyone, even a cook, to have an assigned combat task ("Pearl" 1). I wish i could have done more to help out but the discrimination stopped me.
I joined the navy in September of 1939, i went aboard the USS West Virginia, thats were i met my good friend Dorie Miller. We both started out as a mess attendant, third class, but was soon promoted to second class, then first class, and finally to ship’s cook, third class. We didn't do much, we cooked and did laundry but thats what us blacks had to do in the military ("Remember" 1). We were assigned the poor jobs, we didn't get to fight, there was a lot of discrimination in the military. African Americans,and other minority groups were restricted to racially segregated neighborhoods and reservations and denied basic citizenship right, some members of these groups questioned whether this was their war to fight (Denzar 564). The morning of the Japanese raid, we were doing laundry rounds when the call to battle stations went out. we rushed to our station, an antiaircraft-battery magazine. It was common for everyone, even a cook, to have an assigned combat task ("Pearl" 1). I wish i could have done more to help out but the discrimination stopped me.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g420000/g423640.jpg
Works cited
Danzer, Gerald A. et al. The Americans.Boston:McDougal Littel, 2003
"Remember Pearl Harbor." Honor Courage Legacy of American warriors in War & Peace Conflict. 1998. 24 Oct. 2007 <http://www.nps.gov/pwso/honor/miller.htm>
"Pearl Harbor." National Geographic Beyond the movie. 2001. 24 Oct. 2007 <http://www.plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/ngbeyond/people/index.html>